Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Online Reporter
FORMER Victoria Falls City mayor Somveli Dlamini has been sentenced to 36 months in jail for defrauding the local authority of $US15 000.
Dlamini (53) had pleaded not guilty to fraud charges.
Hwange regional magistrate Mr Mark Dzira on Thursday remanded him in custody to today for sentencing, after finding him guitly.
The magistrate said Dlamini abused duty and trust bestowed on him as a public officer.
The former mayor will serve an effective 30 months after the magistrate suspended six months for five years on condition of good behaviour.
Prior to the bail, Dlamini (53), had been denied bail by a Hwange magistrate as the court argued that there was no guarantee that if released, he would not interfere with evidence.
Through his lawyer Mr Givemore Mvhiringi of Mvhiringi and Associates, Dlamini had appealed to the High Court, and Justice Maxwell Takuva admitted him on bail with some reporting conditions.
Dlamini, who was a councillor for Ward 9 in Victoria Falls, was arrested by a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) crack team on charges of fraud involving a commercial stand valued at over US$90 000.
Prosecutors said he misrepresented to Victoria Falls City Council when he purported to be Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko so that he could benefit from a stand despite having benefited before.
According to the council resolution, an applicant must not have benefited before from allocation, purchase or lost stands through repossession.
This is in line with the Government directive that a home seeker benefits once in any land scheme.
To circumvent the system, Dlamini misrepresented and purported to be Valentine Nyoni from whom he bought the stand.
This happened on 15 August 2022 when in his capacity as mayor unlawfully and intentionally made a misrepresentation and purported to be Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko from whom he had in 2003 purchased Stand Number 1139 under the Wood Road Housing Scheme. The court was told that Dlamini was supposed to pay a deposit of US$25 000. He paid US$10 000 and the balance was supposed to be paid within five days.
After failing to raise the balance, Dlamini paid ZW$7, 5 million through a bank transfer.
Zacc, which was in the city investigating suspicions of corruption, picked the anomaly leading to Dlamini’s arrest.
The local authority was prejudiced of US$15 000 and a potential prejudice of US$66 462.
-@ncubeleon
Online Reporter